It was the moment Lisa Banfield had so desperately wanted. In a hospital one-and-a-half hours from Los Angeles, Mrs Banfield and her husband John, from Sydney, witnessed the birth of their twin sons, Joshua Francis and Lucas Kristopher.

"The whole thing was a miracle," she said. "They were created in Australia and born in the USA."

Mrs Banfield's strong desire to be a mother had led her half way around the world to Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster where Californian surrogate mother, Krisy Prelewicz, gave birth to Joshua and Lucas last week.

Mrs Prelewicz, 37, had been impregnated with Mr and Mrs Banfield's embryos at a fertility clinic in Los Angeles last year.

The embryos had been created at IVF Australia in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

The birth of the baby boys, both weighing 2.55 kilograms and measuring 48 centimetres, marked the end of an inspiring struggle for Mrs Banfield, 37, to be a mother.

"When I had a moment to reflect, when the boys weren't with me, I thought 'I did work hard to get these boys'," she said. "It was a massive, massive effort."

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Mrs Prelewicz, who is married with two children aged four and three, said: "I am so excited for them, I really am.

"This was the climactic end and as much as I could prepare for it, it's still a little sad and a little overwhelming because it is over.

"But seeing the babies and getting to hold them was sort of closure. I feel an emotional connection but not a maternal connection. I feel like I am bonded to them in a very, very special way, maybe as if I was their aunt or something like that."

Joshua and Lucas, who are not identical, have been a six-year investment for the Banfields, costing nearly $A280,000, which includes a payment of about $A40,000 to Mrs Prelewicz.

"It could have been less than that but we've had some hurdles along the way," Mrs Banfield said.

The whole thing was a miracle. They (the twin boys) were created in Australia and born in the USA. LISA BANFIELD

The first hurdle was in 1996 when Mrs Banfield lost the ability to carry children after she was diagnosed with cervical cancer and had to undergo a hysterectomy.

The shocking diagnosis came after a New Zealand gynaecologist failed to test for cancer when he found abnormal cells during a routine pap smear.

A few years later, the gynaecologist was struck off.

After surviving the cancer and marrying Mr Banfield, a senior executive, she moved from Auckland to Sydney in 1998.

It was then that Mrs Banfield first made contact with the Centre for Surrogacy Parenting (CSP) in Los Angeles, but her plans were put on hold when the cancer recurred in the scar site from a previous diagnostic procedure.

Lisa and John look at their twin boys after they are delivered naturally.Picture:Anthony Johnson

With a 50 per cent chance of survival, Mrs Banfield endured months of chemotherapy and 25 sessions of radiotherapy.

Despite the debilitating effects of her cancer treatment, Mrs Banfield never gave up wanting children, and in 2000 she set a precedent in New Zealand to do it.

Using eggs from her older sister Ingrid, Mr Banfield's sperm and a girlfriend's womb, Mrs Banfield tried IVF five times but failed.

When Joshua and Lucas arrived last Monday afternoon (US time), Mrs Banfield didn't forget Ingrid's selflessness and she broke down while speaking to her on the phone.

"I had a day of surrealism, then nervousness, then excitement and then emotion, especially after talking to my brother and sister because my sister really tried to help create our family as well," Mrs Banfield said.

Mrs Prelewicz, a speech therapist, was matched with the Banfields in March 2002 through CSP.

One of her first impressions of the couple was they looked like "Barbie and Ken".

The Banfields had a failed IVF attempt with Mrs Prelewicz but then Mrs Banfield shocked doctors at Sydney's Royal Hospital for Women when she started producing eggs, despite going through menopause.

But the excitement didn't last long.

In March last year, Mrs Banfield was horrified when the Australian Government introduced new laws forbidding her from taking embryos out of the country.

After all her hard work, she was determined not to let this stand in her way and she lobbied federal ministers until she won a new amendment, nicknamed the "Banfield clause", allowing her to transport her embryos to Los Angeles.

In May last year Mrs Prelewicz fell pregnant using Mrs Banfield's eggs and her husband's sperm but the foetus died at seven weeks.

Then came the extraordinary news in September that another IVF attempt had been successful and last week, the Banfields welcomed their sons.

Mrs Banfield's mother, Yvonne Meister from New Zealand, said she couldn't be prouder of her youngest daughter and her husband.

"They never gave up," she said. "Both have fought for this. John has always been willing to support Lisa, not only emotionally but monetarily as well.

"There are a lot of couples out there who can't afford this and who would just as much love a child.

"And yet for other people who see this journey, it will make them more aware about how lucky they are . . . to have children."

The next logistical nightmare ahead of Mrs Banfield is organising birth certificates and US passports for her sons but she hopes to fly them to Sydney in a few weeks.

The boys will also have Australian passports.

"I'm hanging to get them home," she said. "I'm really keen to start the new direction for John and me."